Year starts with promises

Delhi University vice-chancellor Dinesh Singh on the first day of the new academic session said the administration would make efforts to improve the condition of colleges on the fringes of the city.

Singh was in Najafgarh’s Bhagini Nivedita College where a girl student was crushed under the wheels of a tractor she had hitched a ride on.

“We will try to ensure that the bus service for the college is improved. Teacher attendance also needs improvement as several of them were absent on the first day of college. The university will be forced to take action against them,” Singh said.

Students from the college also spoke to Singh about their exam-related problems.

Freshers across colleges had a good time on the first day of college. The university as well as police had put in place checks and balances to ensure that no one is ragged.

“We have deployed teams in colleges to keep an eye on seniors. Colleges also have their own teams who are taking rounds on campuses,” said Usha Rao, proctor, DU.

Police presence was also ensured outside colleges.

“The security is tight and no one has tried to rag us so far. Seniors have not even come to speak to us,” said Mahima Jha, a fresher at Ramjas College.

In some colleges, parents were seen lounging about in the lawns along with their children.

“While we need to be careful, but parents accompanying children on the first day of college is preposterous. All interaction between the students has been hampered. Some interaction should be carried out in a controlled environment,” said Shruti Shrama, a second-year student of Miranda House.